Texting Teens: How Parents Can Connect With the Mobile Generation

Opening new channels of communication.

To some, texting may seem impersonal, but for parents of teens, it’s a gateway to their child – an additional tool to help open the lines of communication. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, kids between the ages of 12 and 17 text about 60 times per day. Of the teens surveyed, 75 percent actively text while 63 percent said they text every day.

Text messaging and mobile messaging tools such as Yahoo! Instant Messenger, offer moms, dads and loved ones a quick and easy way to keep in touch with teens, not only as a means of staying up to date about plans and whereabouts, but also to increase the frequency of overall communication.

“The role of a working mom can be very difficult. With so many competing demands at home and the office, feelings of guilt can become overwhelming,” said clinical psychologists Barbara R. Greenberg, Ph.D., and Jennifer A. Powell-Lunder, Psy.D., on their blog Talking Teenage. “Once I started to communicate through texting, my connection to my child not only became stronger, but more consistent.”

While it’s no replacement for face-to-face conversations and phone calls, mobile messaging can serve as a stepping off point to form more meaningful bonds.

So get started! It’s as simple as texting: “Good luck on ur test 2day! :)”